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Rob Gronkowski is well known for his stellar career as a tight end, excelling alongside the legendary Tom Brady. On Sunday, Gronk announced some major news ahead of their two former teams, the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, playing in a huge NFL game. With Gronk and Brady now part of the Fox NFL coverage team, naturally, the question of which team they’d root for in the Pats versus Bucs Week 11 showdown arrived. Brady previously indicated he wouldn’t choose between them, although the majority of his career and Super Bowl wins were with New England. Like Brady, Gronk won more of his Super Bowl rings while with the Pats, and then achieved another ring when he joined his former teammate on Tampa Bay. Interestingly, Gronk announced major career news about the Patriots before revealing his prediction. Read more: Bears Announce Major Colston Loveland News Before Giants Game LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – APRIL 20: Rob Gronkowski attends WrestleMania After Dark Las Vegas featuring Gronk Beach at LIV Beach Las Vegas on April 20, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images) “Here is some news, first, everyone. I am signing a one-day contract with the Patriots this week, coming up, to retire as a Patriot and be a Patriot for life,” Gronk announced on Fox NFL Sunday. “So I’m going with the Patriots,” he shared, before throwing a jab at his former teammate, “But I know Tom, and he is still bitter the Patriots let him go for his final three seasons in the NFL.” Brady indicated he wasn’t “rooting for one or the other” due to his friendships with individuals on both sides of the matchup. Are @RobGronkowski and @TomBrady going for the Bucs or Pats today?!Gronk says he's rooting for New England ahead of signing his one-day contract this week to retire a Patriot! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/OUOxnOfhwy— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 9, 2025 Brady then mentioned that only the Patriots built him a statue, which is now outside Foxboro’s Gillette Stadium. “So the ball’s in your court, Tampa,” Brady joked in a live video feed from the stadium he was at for Fox’s coverage. Gronk, a four-time Super Bowl champion, was a Patriots’ second-round pick out of Arizona in 2010. He spent the first nine seasons of his career in New England before his first retirement in 2019. Much like Brady did, Gronk returned from retirement and joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for 2020. The decision was a smart move, as it led to a fourth Super Bowl ring with Brady. He then officially retired in 2021 after two seasons in Tampa Bay. His upcoming one-day contract move is one more than a few NFL stars have made to retire with the team of their careers. San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice, San Diego Chargers great Ladainian Tomlinson, and Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith are just a few examples of those who did the same to retire with their most significant team. Read more: Jets Pro Bowler Gets Honest About Sauce Gardner, Quinnen Williams Trades For more about the New England Patriots and the NFL, visit Newsweek Sports.
